Is Linux gaming finally completely accessible? Historically, one of the biggest obstacles to switching to Linux has been game compatibility problems.However, in recent years, developers have been steadily working towards making it a viable gaming system, just like Windows. Proton and Wine are among the most responsible for this progress.According to Boiling Steam, compatibility is now at an all-time high. The percentage of games that are unplayable and refuse to launch is at its lowest – nearly 10%. This means that you can now run nine out of ten games on Linux. This is fantastic news for dissatisfied Windows users looking to finally make the switch.The team at Boiling Steam based their findings on ProtonDB’s data. ProtonDB is a community of reporters that follows Linux distro usage trends and asks users to rate compatibility.So, this is what Boiling Steam’s rating system looks like:Platinum (Green): Games that run smoothly, without any adjustments.Gold (Light Green): Titles that need some slight tweaks in the settings, but otherwise run smoothly.Silver (Yellow): Playable, but with imperfections.Bronze (Red): In between Silver and Borked on averageBorked (Dark Red): Can’t launch at all.Here’s a chart that shows the progress over time:Source: Boiling SteamUnlike Valve’s ratings for the Steam Deck, this system doesn’t take into account Steam Deck performance specifically. But overall, the findings are similar and useful for desktop and laptop users.More importantly, the chart includes a decently balanced mix of older, relatively recent, and new titles. Newer games are slightly more represented, but that doesn’t mean popular classic titles are neglected.Furthermore, the continuous progress from 2020 to 2026 is visible on the graphic. The red area is steadily shrinking, while the green area increases over the years. If you look at the combined areas for Platinum and Gold, they take up most of the graph.This means most Windows titles are now playable on Linux with barely any tweaks and setup.However, some games still stubbornly refuse to run on this OS. For example, some use anti-cheat software, which causes problems for Steam Deck or Linux users. Or, some games straight-up say they don’t support Wine, Proton, and Steam Deck in error messages.Whatever their reasons, they might change their tune soon. After all, many PC users are considering other operating systems after problems with Windows 11 updates and the transition from Windows 10 to 11.So, is this shaping up to be the year of the Linux desktop? If you were one of those people who were interested in Linux but dreading Wine and dealing with games, now might be the time to look into it. The post Linux Gaming’s Big Win: How to Play 90% of Windows Games Without Windows first appeared on Help Desk Geek.